6November2011 Festival of Sacrifice

Our friends are celebrating Eid al-Adha, or the Festival/Holiday of Sacrifice, today.  For information about this day check out this site. 

3November2011 Full vs. Just Getting By

"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

We are a pitiful lot aren't we.  I mean just look at us.  We trudge from day to day, just getting by.  The bright spots in our lives are checking our friends' Facebook statuses, watching must-see TV, purchasing the next big thing, or anticipating the next weekend, holiday or grandiose event.  When I read the quote above and look at the lives it's intended to impact, something just doesn't jibe. 

So in an effort to counterbalance this nonsense, we've started paying more particular attention to what we are calling "abundant life moments."  Abundant life moments are those times when something wonderful happens and it affects you so deeply that you don't know whether to laugh, cry, shout or maybe a combination of all three.  Simply put your heart nearly explodes with joy.  

Here are some of our latest abundant life moments:

1.  Witness a flock of Canada geese come in for a landing on a farm pond.
2.  Listening to A. sing along to praise music on the radio in the car.
3.  Seeing the beautiful, changing leaves of Autumn.
4.  Having M. crawl up into her father's lap and whisper she's sorry after getting into trouble. 
5.  Sharing a cup of coffee with a longtime friend.
6.  Tossing football with Z. and J. on a beautiful fall afternoon.
7.  Overhearing J. lead his siblings in prayer for different countries. 
8.  Watching A's grandmother read Star Wars books
9.  Joining in song with a room full of like-minded believers.
10. Watching our newest member being born.

No matter how black and white your life may seem, God has gifted you with some vibrantly colorful experiences. Let us encourage you to join us in inventorying abundant life moments.  Fight the notion to just get by and live life to the fullest! It's too short to do otherwise.